Actuating device.



HEET s,

I. B. L-EI BSON.

' AGTUATING DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 31, 1911. 1,037,271, I Patented Sept. EETS-S ISRAEL B. LEIBSON, OF YORK, N. Y.

ACTUATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Pptent. Patented Sept; 3, 1912.

Application filed January 31, 1911. Serial No. 605,765.

To all whom it mag con ern:

Be it known that I, ISRAEL B. LnIBsoN, a citizen of the United States. residing in the city of New York, county and State of New "York, have invented a new and useful Actuating Device, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to means of transmitting motion from moving railway vehicles to mecl'ia-nism on or along the track for throwing switches, setting signals or operating any other apparatus along the permanent way of a railroad; but my invention does not extend to any part of the apparatus "to which motion is to be transmitted beyond the connection of my device to such apparatus'.

The objects of my invention are: To provide a device. of the nature mentioned that will operate effectively at all varying speeds of the locomotive or car. To provide a device that will overcome or avoid the momcntun'i of the moving car or train when the motion is t'ansmitted, so that even when operated from the fastest moving express there Wlll be no danger of injury to any of the mechanism from the necessary impact. To provide a. device that will automatically control the motion transmitted at all varying speeds of the moving vehicle, and temporarily lock the apparatus at the instant therequired motion to operate the mechanism is completed. To providea device to transmit motion, as above set forth, in which, even under the most unfavorable conditions of swaying and lurching of the moving car. the contact surfaces of the part of 'the device attachcdto the ca and the part attached to the track will not fail to come in contact to their full extent, when contact is required. To provide a device to transmitmotion, as above set forth, in which the exposed portion on the track will be free from danger of clogging or injury under such COI'KllllOllS as would not be sutliciently unfavorable to mak the road itself impracticable.

Further objects and advantages of my invention appear 1n the detailed description hereafter.

- The invention may be summarized as consisting of a rail on the track, connected with the mechanism to which motion is to be transmitted, which -ail is located parallel to the track rails and capable of sliding or moving freely (as on rollers or ball bear-,

ine'sl back and forth in the direction of the track, and a wheel connected with the locomotive or car, revolving 1n the d1rect1on of the moving car and at a p ripheral velocity... greater than that of the car wheels, which wheel may be lowered at the will of the engineer or motorman to come in contact with said mbvable rail with sufficient pressure to cause the friction tletween it and the movable rail to exceed and overcome the resistance of the rai't and the mechanism with which it is connected to the motion of the said additional. wheel, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure Ids a plan of the device; Fig. II is a side elevation; Fig. III is a sectional view of thc movable rail on an enlarged scale; Fig. IV is a longitudinal section of one end of the movable rail on the enlarged scale; Fig. V is a perspective view of one end of the lower member of the movable rail, and Fig. VI is a plan, on a reduced. scale, of a track and switch, showing two n able rails in position and their direct connection with the switch.

Similar letters and figures refer to similar parts throughout the severaLaI-iews.

A. A represent two car wheels, B their axle revolving with the wheels, and C C gear wheels the diameters of their pitch circles being half that of the car wheels A A, and keyed or fastened to the axle B so that they will revolve with it but prevented from moving laterally; two frames I) I) are mounted on the axle which passes through the bearings 1*] IE, E E on *ach side of the gear wheels C C so that the frame may swing vertically but cannot move laterally; the bearings are provided with oil cups 0 c, c c. In each frame is journaled an idler 'F whose pitch circle diameter equals that of C, and a pinion G of half the diameter of F or C, which pinion has keyed to its axle the wheel II of about the same diameter as that ofthe car wheels A A to whose axle it is geared; so that it revolves in the direction of the car wheels, and having double the angular velocity of the wheels A A and about the same'diameter, has about double the peripheral velocity of the car wheels. I do not, however, claim that the peripheral vclocity of the wheel II must double that of the car whcclsg l oiobvious r *asons that will the device a peripheral velocity of from one tenth to onefiffli in excess of that of the car in the illustration is only for the purpose of presenting a more vivid mental picture of the operation of ,the device while the car is in motion, for th relative motion of.'the wheel H will then bedue only to the excess peripheral velocity. a

The gear wheel G and the frame .1) are located on the axleso that the wheelH will pass through the'vertical plane of the movable rail hereinafter described in detail;

and, to allow for the deviation of the car wheels on the track rails, the wheel H is to be about one inch wider than the'movable rail.

At one end ofthe frame D, and rigid with it, is the rod I,'which is connected with the piston rod J of the air cylinder K,

the air'cylinder K is rigidly attached to the cross-bar L whichis rigidly attached to a bar M in the truck frame which bar M is rigidly attached to the axle-boxes. Inorder to allow for as much as one'inch side thrustdue to possible wearing of brasses in axle-boxes, the end of piston-rod J is bifurcated, and the space between the prongs j j is two inches wider than the rod I;'and to allow for the slightly circular motion of the end of the rod I, the bore a for the pin a is elongated. The air cylinder K is supplied through the pipe and flexible hose 7c is, through the four-way ,cockN within reach of the motorman or engineer, by which he may allow'comp'ressed air to enter or escape from either cylinder, the flexible hose permitting variation in motion of car frame and car truck. The pipe at from the fourwav cock leads to the air reservoir.

The air cylinder K is attached to the rigid bar L so that when compressed air is admitted, and the' piston rod has forced down the wheel H to its full extent, the lowest point in the periphery of the wheel will be onehalf inch above the surface of the track rails. The spring 0, inside the air cylinder K, will draw the piston-rod and wheel H back into position, when the compressed air is allowedto escape from the cylinder.

Between the track rails P P are located the movable rails R R, each consisting of a lower member s rigidly fastened to the surfaces of the two members.

track, ball bearings q g g and an upper member 1" rolling freely on the ball bearings. The movable rails are one inch higher than the track rails. The lower member s has a base, web and head in its central portion, but onlv a base and part of the web-at its ends, as shown in Figs. IV and V, so as to permit the upper member 1" to be completely closed at its ends, and to protect the inner The head of the lower member s has a very slight concave 1 at its top, but no more than is sulficient for a groove for theball bearings, then stance.

,slopes downward along the side 2, so that foreign matter cannot lodgeon its surface,

and then turns up obliquely forming the are lugs 4, 4, 4, to keep the ball bearings from contact with each other, and the lugs are a little farther apart than the distance the upper member r is to travel. The upper On the head of the lower member member at its ends slopes one inch in about two feet, and is then closed at its extreme ends as shown in Fig. IV at 2. Its bearing surface 5 is the same as that of an ordinary T rail. From its bearing surface it slopes downward forming the side 6, and then down and under the head of the lower member, Iormin the side 7;- its inner surface also slopes own along the side 8, and then again down and under the head of the lower member, forming the side 9, but does not come in contact with the lower member. 'A. trap is thus formed protecting the inner surfaces from any foreign solid substances;

for, if even a cinder were blown against the -web of the lower member, and would rise to enter between the surfaces, it would :be stopped in the angle formed by the side 3 with the web, and then be carried down by the web or the sloping side 3 of the lower member, to the sloping side 9 of the upper' member, and then down, perhaps ,again striking the side of the web on its way down and out. Water, and consequently mud, cannot accumulate between the sloping surfaces of the upper andlower members; a complete flood, though adding somewhat to the resistance of the rails, cannot choke ball bearings, and the water would drain oif of itself. The lower member is longer than the upper member by a little more than the distance that the upper member will have to travel to operate the mechanism onthe track, and at each end sufficient of the head and part of the web of the lower member is removed to permit the closed portion of the upper member to pass over. And the entire sliding rail is made longer than necessary to operate the mechanism, so as to automatically lock the same, as hereinafter shown in the mode of operation. To the upper members are suitably attached arms t t, or t t, which are connected with the levers U, U, pivoted at V, which levers are connected by means of the cross-bar W to the mechanism to be operated, as the switch rails X X.

In order to operate the device as, for instance, to throw the switch in Fig. VI from the position shown in the dotted line, the engineer on a high speed locomotive, seeing ata distance, by the signal, that the switch is open to the branch line, and that he will have to close same in order to proceed on the main line, without reducing speed, turns immediately forces the piston down to its lower end, and the piston-rod forces down the frame I) so that the wheel. H is forced down as far as itcan go, that is, to one-half inchabovelthe track rails. The wheel H is in the same vertical plane as the. movable rail on theright, and is prevented from' lat-- eral movement, as heretofore set forth. The movable rail reaches to one inch abovethe traclcra-ils, so thatthe wheel H reaches one half inch below thebearing surface of the movable. rail, and when the locomotive reaches the movable rail thewheel H must come, in contact with it; for the wheel cannot pass out of the vertical planeof the movable rail, because it is connected with the axle and is prevented from lateral movement, and the only possible deviation of the axle, due to the deviation of the car wheels on the track. rails, is made up by the wheel H being oneinch wider than the movable rail; neither can said wheel betln'own above the movable rail by any vertical motion ,of the car frame over the trucks, for, the reason that the wheel is held in position at one end by the car axle, whichmaintainsa uniform distance. above the rails,, and at the other end by the airfcylinder that has, rigid 'connections with the axle box, which also-maid tains a uniform distance above the rails.

The half inch that the wheel H extends be low the bearing surface of the movable rail will allow for any difference in the relative surfaces of the movable and track rails when the track'sinks fromthe trackinans surface-to the bearing surface when a bun dred-ton locomotive passes over it,'also for any vertical vibration of the rigid bars mentioned, in the truck frame, and any slight bending-0f the: movable rail itself. The wheel H and the movable rail cannot, therefore, fail' to come in contact to their full extent when air is admitted into the cylinder. Now, if the wheel H had the same peripheral.velocity as the car wheels,v it would, on coming in ecmt-act'with the inclined surface (of one inch in about tu'rnty-fohr) at the end of the movable rail, mount and roll over same with the car; but, as its periph eral velocity 1s greater than that of the car wheels, it would tend to draw the car under it toward the rear of the car. The movable rail in turn moves the levers V from 'v to '22 which in turn shift the crossbar that 'moves the switch until the switchpoint X is stopped by the track rail P, and the main line is opened and the branch line closed. After passing the switch-point, the engineer allows the compressed air to escape from the cylinder, and the spring 0 raises the wheel H toits normal position.

Should the engineer not have had time to allow the compressed air to escape from the cylinder before passing over the rails at the crossing, the wheel H, being one-half inch above the surface of the track rails will easily clear them; To have thrown the switch to open the branch line, the engineer would have had to admit air into the cylinder K on the left to operate the sliding rail R- on the left. Further, the instant the switch point X is fully thrown, and is stopped by the track rail P from moving farther, it also stops the movable rail It, so that the resistance of the movable rail (wherever this expression is used its upper member r is meant) becomes too great and overcomes the friction between it and the wheel ll, so that the wheel then slips over it partially (to the extent of the excess peripheral velocity only), for the rest of its length; but always with the same pressure. so that the switch-point X is kept automatically pressed against the tracl; rail P; and, by extending the movable rail beyond thesi'itch point, the switch can be automatically locked until the last wheel of the car /has passed the. switch point.

he mechanicah construction of the l'llOV", a le ra-il. as already pointed out, and its shape and form as shown in the drawings, is such as to prevent clogging under any ordinary conditions; and any great washout carrying sand or gravel that could work its way in between the surfaces of the two members of the rail to impair their operation, would in less time choke the switch and make the road its'elf inun'acticable.

Assuming that the resistance of the rail and the attached mechanism is one hundred pounds (though by a system of levers it may be made much less),and that oil has not only been dropped on the movable rail but maliciously or accidentally spread over its entire bearing surface 5, then taking the coefficient of friction between metallic surfaces that have been oiled as about eight percent, a pressure or static wheel weight by the wheel H on the movable rail of but fifteen hundred pounds will be more than sufiicient to operate the mechanism withthe absolute certainty of a physical law.

Considering the rotary motion of the wheel ll, the. angle of motion of its center of inertia to the normal at point of contacton the inclined end of the rail, and its relaoperation under any conditions that might larged measurements and speeds,-as already set forth, and sometimes conditions unfavorable to the application of the invention, but for the purpose of showing its effective arise, and to better explain the application of principles the use of which is entirely new for the purpose of transm tting motion from a moving railway car or locomotive to mechanism on or along the track. But different mechanisms may be employed to carry out the main features of my invention.

-Thus', the speed of the additional wheel H does not affect the friction required to draw the movable rail, but, after a certain limit a higher speed increases the resistance of the movable rail, and a lower speed requires a lengthening of the rail, whose weigh-t will then add to the resistance; the excess peripheral velocity to be given to the wheel H will depend on the different mechanisms on the-road to be operated, that is, a velocity that will be most economical for all the mechanisms in the aggregate. Also, where the device is attached to a spring switch which will draw the movable rail back into position, but'one movable rail is required instead of two.. Or, a lever may be used for giving pressure instead of an air cylinder and its appurtenances; or, where the mechanism to be operated is very light, the wheel itself may be weighted; or the necessary power for revolving the wheel instead of be-' gireceived from the axle of car wheels of 1n su cient weight, may be obtained from a dynamo; and many other mechanical equivalents that would be too numerous to mention in this specification may be adopted,

without changing the main features of my invention. 1

I claim: 1. A device for transmitting motion from a moving railway car or locomotive to mechanism on or along the track, consistingof a rail connected with said mechanism on the track and capable of sliding or moving freely back and forth in the direction of the track, and a wheel attached to the car or 10- comotive, revolving in the-same direction as and at a peripheral velocity greater than that of the car wheels, and capable of being brought in contact with the sliding rail at the will of the engineer or motor-man with sufficient weight or pressure for the friction between it and the sliding'a'ail to overcome the resistance of the sliding rail and the atof the said tached mechanism to the motion wheel, substantially as set forth.

2.' A device for transmitting motion from a moving railway car or locomotiveflto mechanism on or along the track, consisting of and connected with'said mechanism onthe track and capable of sliding or moving,

freely back and track, a wheel attached to the car or locomotive, and meansxfor revolvingsaid wheel, with suflicient power, and m the sameldlrecsf orth in the direct-ion of. the

tion as and at a peripheral velocity greaterj than that of the car wheels, so that. when brought in contact with the sliding rziilwith a moving railway car or locomotive to mechanism on or along the track, consisting,

of a rail connected with said mechanism on the track'and ca able of sliding or moving freely back and fbrth in the direction ofthe track, a wheel attached to the car or locomotive, revolving in the'same direction as and, at a'peripheral velocitygreater than that of the car wheels, andj'a means for .bringing said wheel in contact with saidmovable rail with sufficient pressure orjl'.

weight to cause the friction between them to overcome the resistance of the slidingrail and attached mechanism to the motion of the said .wheel, substantially as set forth 4. In a device of the nature described, a

movable rail consisting of a lower member 2 10" rigidly attached to the track, ball-bearings, and an upper member; saidlower member having a base, web and head in its central ortion, and a base and part of the web 'at its ends, the upper side of the head being.

convex, with a slight concave at the top, and

the under side' of the head turning upj'f obliquely to meet the web, and spaced apart lugs on said head; the upper member sloping at its ends, and having an outer surface flat at the top, then extending out and under the head of the lower member, and an inner sur- I face curving out and under the head of the lower member, for the purposes set forth.

5. In a device of the nature described, a

car axle, a frame mounted on' said axle and' capable of swinging vertically, a wheel set in said frame, and a system of gears -connecting said wheel to said axle, sot-hat it will revolve with said axle with a peripheral velocity greater than that of the car wheels,

for the purposes specified. ISRAEL B. LEIBSON... Witnesses:

SIDNEY VVALLAQH,

SoLoN J. Lmnnsnmn 

